1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a manipulator device for repositioning parts, comprising at least one pivot arm able to be driven to perform an oscillating movement about a pivot axis by a drive means, and which in the course of such pivotal movement so acts on a gripper carrier, serving for carrying a gripper, that the same is shifted without any change in its spatial alignment along a predetermined manipulation path.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A manipulator device of this type is disclosed for instance in the German patent publication 29,618,418 U1 (utility model). It is employed for the repositioning of parts, which are picked up in a first position and are shifted into a second position, where same are put down. Therefore the term “pick and place” is employed for such equipment. The respective part to be repositioned during the repositioning operation is held by a suitable gripper which is mounted on a gripper carrier of the manipulator device and together with same moves along a manipulation path caused by a drive means, only its position but not its alignment in space being changed.
In the case of manipulator device in accordance with the said German patent publication 29,618,418 U1 the gripper carrier is a component of a parallelogram system comprising two pivot arms, the manipulation path followed by it being a plain circular path. Although with this equipment the basic principle is reliable in operation and a wide variety of manipulator tasks may be implemented, there are however limits when there is a requirement of non-circular manipulation paths, as for example in the case of a substantially U-like manipulation path having mutually parallel linear path end sections, this rendering it possible to move components at the start and at the end of the repositioning operation some distance on farther linearly, as for instance t take up screws or short pieces of shaft from their holding means and to place same in the recesses provided for them.
The same set of problems occurs with the manipulator device disclosed in the German patent publication 9,105,666 U1(utility model), which here is in the form of a component of a stamping device.
Although in the case of the said German patent publication 29,618,418 U1 embodiments are described in the case of which the gripper may be shifted along a non-circular manipulation path, this possibility is definitely linked with and involve a change in the alignment in space of the gripper or, respectively, of the gripper carrier, something which for its part substantially limits the field of application.
The German patent publication 3,603,650 C2 describes a manipulator device, termed a transfer manipulator device, using which a gripper may be shifted along a non-circular manipulation path having mutually parallel path end sections while constantly maintaining the same alignment in space. However, the drive design employed in this case is relatively complex and involves a large overall size since two fluid power cylinders are called for in order to produce the desired path shape.